Country Universe

100 Greatest Men: #20. Garth Brooks

August 12, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 20

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List Arriving on the scene in 1989 with a great song sense and a strong background in marketing, Garth Brooks emerged as the poster boy for the nineties country boom,

Single Review: Jason Aldean, “Burnin’ It Down”

August 9, 2014 Leeann Ward 29

“Burnin’ it Down” Jason Aldean Written by Rodney Clawson, Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, and Chris Tompkins Country music isn’t historically prudish. It covers the topical gambit of love, drinking, cheating, murder and, yes, even passion.

Single Review: Jake Owen, “What We Ain’t Got”

August 7, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 16

“What We Ain’t Got” Jake Owen The power of simplicity is on full display here. Jake Owen’s new single is a powerful ballad because it’s not a power ballad. He pairs an intimate and quite

Single Review: Chris Young, “Lonely Eyes”

August 7, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 12

“Lonely Eyes” Chris Young The thing about Chris Young is that he’s a great traditional country singer. I think that’s his preference, too.

CU10 Flashback: The Civil Wars – A New Music Discovery

August 5, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 1

News broke today that the Civil Wars have officially broken up, after a year-long hiatus. It was just under five years ago that we first wrote about the Grammy winning duo, back when they were

Song Talk: Papa Don’t Preach!

July 30, 2014 Leeann Ward 28

It’s fun to think of our favorite endearing songs about dads. We’ve even done it here at Country Universe a time or two. But let’s face it, dad’s aren’t always right and they’re not always

Song Talk: Driving Away

July 24, 2014 Ben Foster 32

There are a lot of great country songs chronicling the breakup of a relationship, but it’s the female characters who have often shown a particular propensity for leaving their lovers by car. Sometimes she changes her mind

CU10 Flashback: Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain and Gender in Country Music

July 23, 2014 Tara Seetharam 7

In 2008, I was finishing up my degree in journalism and trying to understand what it meant to be a professional writer. I wanted to write about music, but the divide between fan and critic

Country Universe Turns 10

July 22, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 14

Ten years ago, in the dog days of Summer 2004, blogging was catching on in the political world. I thought it would be cool to do a country music and politics blog. I think it

Song Talk: Songs About Songs

July 17, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 17

Songs have such a big impact on our life experience that they sometimes inspire songs of their own. It’s a cool theme that I wish more singers and songwriters would explore. Here are some of